The invention relates to a flexible neck decoy. More particularly, the invention relates to a hunting decoy, formed in the shape of a goose or other fowl, and having a neck structure which causes the head to move, giving a realistic appearance to game fowl in the vicinity of the decoy.
Fowl hunting is a sport with international appeal. Goose hunting and duck hunting are among the most popular variations. In these sports, decoys are typically employed to attract fowl. The decoys are realistic looking but fake birds, which are placed in the habitat. The decoys have a tendency of attracting fowl, which naturally prefer to be in locations already occupied by others of their kind.
Painstaking care is often given to provide the decoy with a realistic appearance from afar. However, most fowl are smart enough to quickly determine that what looks like a brother, is actually an inanimate object. Thus, the bird decides to "touch and go", rather than land, relax, and give the hunter an opportunity.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,063 to Heiges discloses a wild game decoy with a flexible neck, and other flexible appendages. The neck is hinged at two points, which allows the decoy to be pre-posed by the hunter, so that multiple decoys may be deployed, each pre-posed in a different position. Heiges is aimed at providing varying appearance between decoys in a "fake flock". Heiges does not disclose a decoy in which the appendages are adapted to move on their own.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,620 to Boler discloses a aerodynamic movable wild game decoy. Boler has a mounting stake for placing the decoys in feeding or sentinel positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,288 to Payne et al. discloses a game decoy which simulates a large game animal, such as a deer, in which the neck is hingeably attached to the main body. A pair of opposing elastic bands are attached to the head to permit oscillating motion of the head.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,274,942 to Lanius discloses a decoy which includes a movable head and a hollow body. The head is hingeably attached to the body, and is weighted to bias the head toward a raised position. A line is indirectly connected to the head, through the body, and may be used by the hunter to remotely move the head.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.